Chapter 12: Tuesday
Luke rose from bed. He had managed to sleep decently despite the nightmare he had have the previous night. He stretched his limbs, shaking the sleep from his body as he stood up. He got into his drawer and grabbed his clothes from it. Going into the bathroom. The was a strong scent of Cinnamon and Chocolate body gel in there with a slight humidity, telling him his sister was in just recently. He turned on the shower, blue first then made it hot for him. Stripping off his night clothes, he got in, and contemplated what happened last night.
'That girl… she was so calm and relaxed and…' despite the steamy blue ink-water hitting him. He was terrified of her; it felt like she had caged him in with just her eyes alone. He hadn't tried to keep calm, ignore her, or even run. It was baffling how he just stood there helplessly when he could have done something else. Her words had been a splinter in his skin. She was right. His win was extremely fortuitous to say the least. Anyone on the team could have oh-so-easily replaced him for leading the team. So how did he manage to get this position he very well could not handle? Was it some kind of cruel joke? Had his team play poorly so that he could take the fall whenever they lost, was there some cruel deity setting him up with an impossible challenge? Whatever it might be, he had to at least meet the challenge.
He closed his eyes, feeling each warm bead hit him as he leaned his body forward and gently laid his hands and head on the sweating wall. With every deepened breath he took, the more images flashed in into his mind; the dream with every sound reverberating within, the ravenous sounds of that wolf blended in with Aeolia's words, a buzzing droned in his ear, and he instinctively grasped at his right ear as his breathing became quickened.
He had been taught about ancient animals of old. He was sure most if not all had heard tales at least, if not theories and old records on the ancient beasts. But why had this one wanted him? It would creep along the edge of the bank waiting for him to sway close before snatching him away into the unknown. In a way, it gave him such an expectant look, if only because it wanted to take him to eat somewhere.
And yet...
Suddenly a few knocks on the door. "Luke? You still in there?" It was Felicia.
"Yeah!" He called back out, rousing himself from the recess of his thoughts.
"Ok! Don't stay in there too long, it's not healthy!" she seemed to leave him then. He decided he wouldn't linger on it for now. He was sure Nova was heading for the plaza and today was a great time to catch up with her.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
He came out of the alleyway and looked around. It was pretty early, so only the occasional early bird was around the plaza at this time of day. He couldn't see anyone he recognized so he waited around, planting himself on the benches near the train tracks. Come to think of it, that odd girl that was nice to him earlier was a cohort of Aeolia's, wasn't she? She had to be, she came strolling out with everyone else along with someone he could only assume was a relative of hers. He wondered why she had taken such a sudden interest in one that had just arrived at the plaza, someone not even around for a day. His thoughts stilled for a moment to consider that. It was really odd, did all girls behave like that? His sisters never did. Luke never asked anymore questions about anything until now.
He sat there thinking about it until his limbs became sore from the lack of movement. He looked around the plaza, the sun had risen to glare at the tower, its gleam a beautiful distraction to the eye. Despite the blinding glare, Luke focused on the plaza, still no friends.
He couldn't help but crack a smile at the thought of him having friends. While it was true these friends of his were a ragtag bunch and only 2 of them were really nice to him, it was a far cry from before he left for the heart of the city.
He took a look at Ammo Knights, now that he had levelled up some, maybe he could…?
The blue inkling went into the store, excited, but something in his stomach felt uneasy.
Shadows were gathering, unseen by anyone in the plaza and silent. A pair of faint lights glared up wards from them, eyeing the tower.
"Target acquired, requesting for assistance to remove target from enemy premises, over." Stealthily the shadow receded back into the darkness, lights fading from view.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Hello, hello! What kind of weapon are you in the market for?" Chimed Sheldon as he turned around, just concluding placing a large, blue shooting weapon on a display stand.
"Uh…" Luke didn't particularly know what to ask for. "I'm here to-"
Sheldon didn't give him much time, looking him over. "You're looking fairly fresh!" He grinned, "Yes, I think you have what it takes to wield my Splattershot! Go on, give it a try!" Sheldon promptly took a pristine Splattershot down from the racks. "Ah, the classic Splattershot." The Horseshoe Crab seem to be nostalgic looking at it. "It's a modified version of a weapon that was used in the Great Turf War of old. When this weapon made a splash with the fresh kids, it helped popularize the Turf Wars we know today!" Luke shuffled around listen to him ramble on about the weapon as it was gently placed in his hands. As he gave the Splattershot a visual analysis, Sheldon continued to ramble about its features. "The full-auto Splattershot, Burst Bombs and Bomb Rush make it a great choice for any situation. Whether you're a newbie or a pro, learn to use this set effectively and you'll be a force to be reckoned with!"
Luke was pretty convinced by Sheldon's ending pitch and proceeded to look for his battler's ID. "How much is it?"
"500 Coins." Not a steep price as far as he could tell.
"I'll take it." He provided Sheldon his card, who the proceeded to ring him up and gave him his product.
"There's also a free bag for your purchase, and, should you require it, there is a testing area in the back." Luke had to ponder the offer. "Though, currently the range is being used, so if you want to wait…"
"No, that's ok with me." Luke's response came out somewhat quick, almost making the crab before him speechless.
"Alright then! I'll show you into the testing range." Sheldon herded the young inkling into a space outdoors that had a bit of a pungent urban scent he couldn't quite place.
"Now from the looks of it, the other person is in the other area of range, testing the weapon they wanted to purchase. You should have plenty of space to work with." Sheldon went back in. But not before telling his new customer to "Call if you ever need me."
Looking at his surroundings, the high walls of the test area looked absolutely dingy. If he didn't know better, he'd had thought the place looked as bad as it smelt, though there were probably worse places somewhere considering this was the city. He knew better than to think every place was as glitzy as often promised in ads. He looked to the grates above him. He could get to those if he inked up the walls. Even if by the rules of turf war, only the floor mattered, even the most tactless of rookies could figure out walls had their tactical advantages.
Immediately he tested a couple of shots. He didn't realize how much kick this thing had in the dojo, it felt much better than his Jr.
"Don't know why these aren't given to beginners…" he muttered.
"That's because the Jr.s are easier to handle," He whipped his head to the source of the voice. Familiar, leering eyes looked into his own.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Where is that slippery anchovy of friend of yours?!" Deborah demanded. She and the rest of Ocean's Sonata had been waiting for Luke to turn up. Cass had been sent to go get the group drinks since everyone could feel Deborah's tension rising. At this point her feet was rapidly beating against the ground, a sign of her rising irritation. "He was supposed to meet us hours ago!"
"Stow it, Deborah, he'll here!" Nova snapped back. "Unlike you, he's totally reliable."
The pink tentacled girl stormed up to her now pale faced nemesis, ready for violence. "Just like the two-toned hagfish who thinks she's going to keep talking down to me without me decking her!"
"G-guys…It's really not the time for this…" Brody said pathetically. Neither girl payed him any mind. Reluctantly Brodie gave a look to Tytus, but to his misfortune, he didn't seem ready to jump in either, especially after Nova's face started to ripen into a strong shade of red.
"Talking down to you?! You're the one belittling her teammates like we're just some… some tools!" Nova refrained from jabbing her finger into the other inkling's chest. "Why did we ever join up with you? You're horrible!"
"Call me whatever you want you damned sea hag!" She scoffed, "As far as I care, you all don't know how good you have it with me in your team. Most inklings have a hard time finding a teammate like me, don't think you'd be able to continue as a team without me and Tytus, 'cause you won't!"
A bit of uneasy silence exhumed afterwards. It was enough to make the boys sweat. They shared another glance at each other as if they could read each other's thoughts in that moment.
"What a cold, heartless, abyssal monster you are." Nova muttered to herself. "I wonder how your parents ever dealt with-"
That had done it. Even Nova couldn't predict the hook that Deborah let fly. Any attention that wasn't gathered, had made sure they had a flock of curious inkling wondering what was happening. A stunned Nova had looked to a wheezing and frantic Inkling who was just barely being kept back by her friend. Tytus could barely hold her back as she attempted to slip out of his grasp in squid form, so she could tear the paralyzed inkling apart.
"Nova. Nova." Brodie tried to help her up, but she wasn't responding. "Nova come on. Snap out of it."
Taking in how badly she struck a nerve, she finally came to. "Huh?" she massaged her sore cheek and experientially dabbed her tongue into the inside of her mouth, where she could taste copper. She finally looked over to Brodie, who had his hand extended for her. He had concern scrawled into his face.
"Are you alright?" he inquired. She nodded and grasped his hand with her left hand.
Tytus had better control of Deborah, who had finally begun to slow down. Some of the small crowd the had gather dispersed at the lack of conflict although some seemed to stick around in case it flared up again. Tytus was practically growling at them, even though Deborah had made sure to exhaust his stamina fighting against his pull, he'd still gladly chase them all away if they didn't leave.
"Please stop…" he begged quietly. Deborah relented eventually, nearly passing out in Tytus' arms right there. Tytus simply placed the wilted inkling back in her chair, seeing her stop trying to fight him and having another go at Nova.
"Even if Luke gets here, it's probably gonna be a while before we turf at this rate."
In a couple of minutes, Cass returned with some drinks. "I'm back with our drinks," He chirped. "Did I miss anything?" Nobody really answered for a second. Cass's appearance after the girls' quarrel couldn't have come more perfectly and nobody really had an idea of what to say.
"Ah, no you didn't." Brodie stated. "We were just chatting a bit and trying to drum up small talk before you came back."
"Oh really? Let me see if I can drum up something then."
"That's not going to be necessary."
A glance towards the base, revealed Luke. He strode up to them at a quickened pace. The scowl Deborah gave from her seat followed by Tytus' disapproving look told him that he should tread lightly.
Twisting in her chair so she could get a better look at the newbie turfer, Deborah wrinkled her nose into an agitated expression. "And what trench have you come out of? You're LATE." She growled, temper almost reaching back up to her previous aggression.
"Now Deborah, I'm sure Luke has a good explanation for coming so late." Cass offered. She had visibly relaxed after he brought that up, although no one else could tell if it was because Cass had said it or not. She regardless, looked at Luke expectantly, still wanting some explanation.
"Uh yeah, I went to Ammo Knights and bought me a new weapon." He told them. "The Weapon Shop owner, I think his name was Sheldon? Anyways, he gave me a run down on aa standard Splattershot and I decided to practice with it, that's all." He started to feel a bit guilty. "I'm sorry I was in there for so long, I guess I lost track of time trying to get used to my weapons."
Another awkward silence. Thankfully it was broken much faster than the last.
"Well…" Deborah started, not expecting to hear that little tale. "I suppose I can't be too mad at that, we should be all practicing and ranking up after all." She stole a quick glance to Cass before looking him dead in his sapphire spheres. "Next time though, wait for someone else. We might as well try to practice together."
Brodies' eyes suddenly lit up. "Um actually, we could probably exchange each other's phone numbers. It'd make it easier to communicate with one another."
Unfortunately, nobody seemed to register his words as they hadn't reacted to the idea.
"Oh guys! We should totally share our numbers!" Nova suggested. "We'd be able to keep in contact, just in case something holds us up!"
Everyone let out a noise of agreement at the suggestion, including a baffled and unamused Brodie.
Trading one another's numbers, they tucked their phones away once they had gotten all of their team on each phone.
"So now that's done. I suppose we sh-"
"Oh wait! WAIT!" Nova spoke suddenly. All eyes had whipped around to her. "I nearly forgot! One of Death's Tide saved me yesterday!"
Brodie's eyes bulged out, "Whoa, whoa, whoa what?! When?"
"And why?" Cass cut in, "Last time I checked, you were heading home."
"And afterwards I got snatched into an alleyway and hid behind a dumpster."
This only made her cohorts more curious.
"Who's the guy that rescued you anyways?" Luke asked. "Did you get a name?"
"No, but the guy stuck out like a sore thumb. He was really pale with blood red eyes and tentacles."
Deborah looked down contemplating the description. "Azriel…" she murmured.
Luke looked to her wondering what she was mumbling about, "What was that?"
"Just thinking about what teams we might come across in turf wars."
"Ever the business squid, aren't we?" Cass remarked.
"Yes, and I ask that we get to just that." She told them.
"Before we do, I got a warning to deliver from that guy. He wants us to watch out for a nasty bunch of individuals." Luke looked at her curiously. "I'd suggest we start travelling in pairs, just in case we get targeted again."
"Y'know…" Deborah smirked. "That's not a half bad idea. Let's do that." Everyone save for Cass and Tytus nodded slowly at her, catching on she gave out an annoyed sigh. "What's that look for?"
"Oh, it's nothing," Brodie laughed nervously. "But it's almost like you actually agreed with Nova."
"She did," Tytus spoke up, and almost smug look on his face. "You hear her right."
Brodie looked rather uneased by that confirmation, "Oh… look dreams do come true…"
"Even I would have to admit that it's a sound plan at this point. This other team could screw us over bad if they try to interrogate us for information of the Death's Tide Splatoon, especially because us being in a weekend match with them would and has gone around the plaza and beyond by now."
"Wait a second, there's something I don't quite get. How would them knowing about our matches screw US over?" Cass asked befuddled at such a prospect. "They're looking for Death's Tide so it's not like they'd need anything else if we were to tell them."
Luke suddenly had a realization, a feeling of terror spreading from his stomach, outwards. "Not…if they could use their informant to their leverage…" Eyes turned to Luke.
"What are you talking about?" Tytus snarled. Deborah however look somewhat impressed. Tytus looked to her to elaborate, "Debbie?"
"So, you noticed the possibility as well," she addressed the entire group. "Knowing about the game, if they are asking enough questions to interrogate and bully, they probably won't be above kidnapping or coercing someone. You never know…"
Luke's eyes flickered with a thirst for knowledge, "Wonder what Death's Tide did to have them so riled up." As if by instinct, the team's head snapped to Luke and disgruntled faces looked into him. He couldn't have jumped higher in his chair.
"Remember that they have some weird dark magic voodoo thing going on?"
"I don't know about that, but they are definitely a force to fear then take lightly."
"If they cream us we're toast! The other team probably got reassembled after the leader's last team got iced."
Luke felt their voices rage around him, one question was hurled after another and for a moment he could barely hear even his own thoughts.
"Not to mention their leader could some heinous cult leader that traps her victims somewhere so that they don't discover what awful things they-"
"Can you guys JUST PLEASE. CALM. DOWN!" The others and a few around the plaza looked at Luke in stunned silenced. "…sorry…I-I was having a hard time thinking with all of you talking at once…"
"We should at least come up with a buddy system so that we don't get picked off…" Cass mentioned, still in a stupor at Luke's outburst.
Luke nodded in agreement "You're right. We need to also not attract attention to ourselves." Luke looked around warily, analyzing any faces in the plaza crowd that had taken an interest. When he found no one, he resumed speaking. "That outburst of mine? I, no, WE can't do that if we want to keep off those guys radar."
"You're the only one that did that!" Tytus growled back at him.
"I-I know…" He stepped back from the aggressive boy that was now staring daggers. "My point is, if we are going to be disagreeing, we might want to try either disagreeing quieter or in private."
"Right. It wouldn't do us much good to keep making a display of things…" Nova held out her hand to Deborah.
"What are you-?"
"Truce until Friday?" Deborah stared at the appendage being extend towards her.'
For a few, tense moments she stared, she had an unreadable expression, save for a few wrinkles creasing her forehead.
'Is she actually at least considering it?' Luke asked himself. Out of the first day of grief since they started this whole thing, Deborah had already established that she didn't like Nova and, even if she didn't outright say it, thought less of everyone around her.
The next thing that happened was probably more bewildering to them all. Deborah had gotten up. Brodie was ready to jump in front of Nova, but the blow never came.
She had, instead, brought up her hand to the wincing girl's shoulders, who expected to get beaten up by the aggressive pink-head.
"We never had a problem in the first place." She told her passing by Nova, and she could have sworn by her chestnut-dusted eyes that she saw a wicked gleam in the fiery orange eyes of Deborah.
Deborah walked away from her leaving the girl wide-eyed. Tytus followed her, looking back at the group before following behind her.
"So…" Brodie started, "What do we do now? Is that all?"
Luke massaged his face, relieving the slight ache from the tension in his muscles. "For now. We need to practice turfing and getting ready for our fight."
"Understood Captain!" Cass joked. Luke threw him a withered gaze before regaining his composure.
"Actually Cass," Nova cleared her throat for a moment. "Could you give us a minute? We're going to see what we can get at the base before we head into turf."
He smiled warmly at Nova. "Of course, I'll see you guys at the tower entrance once you're done shopping."
Once he was out of Earshot, Nova stood up and motioned the boys to follow her. They turned to each other before doing as she asked.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
On the rooftops of Inkopolis, if one were to concentrate past the loud whispers of wind and city bustling full of life below, the sound of angry, frustrated rambling could be heard.
"Where is she, Aeolus?!" An angry voice growled out. "She was SUPPOSED to be here with Demetria!"
The voice belonged to an ivory skinned young man with eyes colored crimson and the tentacles to match his deep red eyes. He was scowling at the taller inkling standing stoically before him. He leapt from AC system he had perched on and bounded towards him.
"If someone had gone with her, maybe she wouldn't have taken so long!" He jabbed a finger into Aeolus' Dark Urban Vest, the small, finger-sized dent slowly went to normal as Aeolus stood there, rather unimpressed by the other inkling's aggression. He raised an inky eyebrow at him as the other boy fumed. He the balled his right fist up wards as he looked him in the eye.
"For starters, she told me to stay here and watch over all of you." He flicked his index finger up. "Secondly, she said that she didn't want the entire group getting into trouble by travelling altogether. Thirdly, you know as much as I do that out of all of us she is the last person that would need protecting. And finally, you don't need to be rushing out there to help her if she doesn't want or need it. You'll just get yourself hurt or in trouble going that."
The red inkling and inflated himself, teeth gritted, and fists tightened. The cold, blue eyes of Aeolus where the only things that made him back down and sit where he was.
"Rela~x Azzy!" purred a feminine voice. "You worry way too much, it's bad for your health."
His eyes narrowed into slits, "Nobody asked you for your input, Discordia."
The steel blue eyes of the lavender inkling gleamed in delight. "And nobody asked you to mouth of now did they?" she chuckled at him as he huffed at her.
"Whatever! Even if she ordered us to meet without her, shouldn't we make sure she's safe?"
Another, louder cackle came from the girl, who was effortlessly balancing on the edge of the building, her shoes off to the side. "Why don't you call her? Call her phone and with any luck that clingy bottom feeder, Stephen Mariner and his crew will find and take her away from us."
His face twisted into a snarl, "She wouldn't! She's stronger than them all!"
"But, that would be too much attention." She cooed. Her expression straightened int a serious one "We wouldn't want that, would we?" She poised herself, one leg off of the building the other tottering at the precipice, her body and arms stretching towards the sky, and her head tilted to her companions.
"Discordia is right." A much, more monotoned voice joined into the conversation. An Inkling identical to the girl currently floating near the roof spoke from near the rooftop doorway. "If we try to get in contact with The Mistress now, wed more likely put her in danger. If not just her, Demetria would also be caught up in the tension and she's not much of a fighter without her ink gun. It'd be best to just wait for them."
Three against one. The one known as Azzy stood down and didn't put up any more of a fight. He couldn't, knowing that they were right and knowing they'd make sure their leader wasn't jeopardized anymore then they had to be.
"Very well…" his eyes glared at the ground, the dangerous glint not leaving them.
"We will wait for Aeolia to come back."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"You think Deborah was trying to save face?" Brodie questioned Nova, who was now admiring the different kinds of hats and head gear. "I mean, so far that doesn't seem too out of her league, but why would she suddenly be nice and go so far as to agree with you."
"It's kind of simple when you think about it." Brodie tilted his head in Luke's direction. "If she appears to be more agreeable, it's hard to look unfavorable if you're being really pleasant…"
"I-I guess…I could have totally thought of that though." Brodie nervously laughed as Nova's face lit up as she tried on a Jogging headband.
"And since she's trying to impress that Cass guy, she's probably trying to get him on her side of things, playing this game…"
"Uh, speaking of Cass, what do we do about him?" Luke rubbed his arm. And Brodie and Nova exchanged a concerned look. "We can't keep him in the dark about this forever can we? He's as involved as the rest of us now, oblivious or not…."
The others looked at him, unsure of a solution. "Couldn't we just tell him what's really going on?" Brodie answered. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Nova disapproved. "He could leave, and while we don't need a full splatoon of 6, I'd rather a neutral party be here to dissolve what tension there is."
"Nova, this isn't an us versus them! We have to work together as a group now!"
"Why!? Just because Luke got us-" Nova immediately bit her tongue. Luke's face fell into an expression of hurt hearing that. "L-luke…I didn't mean it like that! I-! I-it just-"
"I know…" he said, azure tears spilling from his eyes, his face shying towards the ground. "I know you didn't mean to make it sound like it's my fault…" he sighed, nearly slumping back into a wall. "I promise, I'll make it up to you guys."
"Awww Luke…" Nova went in for a hug before-
"HEY THIS ISN'T A WINDOW SHOP SERVICE!", Came a familiar impish voice, "BUY SOMETHING OR SCRAM! Nova tossed her 400 on the counter and ran out with Luke and her new headband, the moment the two shared completely ruined by the loudmouthed clownfish.
"Sorry about that Annie." Brodie approached the startled store clerk and paid out every single coin to his name to buy a Camping Hat.
"I-i-it's okay…"
Outside of Jelly Fresh, Nova took a look at her coin purse. "I hope there's something I can get for 400 coins…"
They walked in to Jelonzo's store, the shopkeeper waving his tentacle in wild abandon to greet them, as most Jellyfish did.
"Welcome to Jelly Fresh, how can I be of helping you?"
"Do you have anything for cheap?" She had asked eagerly.
The jellyfish lit up, "Ah, yes yes! Be the of following me!" Nova immediately went into the back with Jelonzo to see what else she could get.
"Say…" Brodie came into the store with his new hat.
"Nice hat."
"Hmm? Oh, thanks! But I wanted to ask something…" Luke's expression became puzzled as Brodie trying to speak once more. "You think we could do like a sleep over or somethin'?"
"What?"
"I-I mean, we could spend some bro time together, get to know each other a little bit better and all! Nothing odd about that right?"
"Oh, sure…uh. What time should I come over your house?"
"Well...about that." Luke wasn't amused at what that implied.
"I was hoping we could spend time at YOUR place instead."
"Why not your place?" Brodie visibly chewed at the corner of his lip looking down as Luke stared at him impatiently for answers his face slowly twisting into a scowl.
"It's kinda far, I commute from home instead of living in the city." Brodie scratched his arm. "I figured you wouldn't want to meet my folks anyways."
Luke slowly untensed his face, "What's that mean?" he growled.
"C'mon, you think it's not obvious? You barely start conversation and you look like you'd probably somewhere else at any given moment."
Luke didn't respond.
"I don't have to be Nova to make observations like that. I can tell your uncomfortable."
As Luke looked away from the sudden feeling of awkwardness that told him to stop paying attention, his friend let out a hearty little laugh and gave him a small pat on the back.
"Like right now. You're doing it right now." Luke scoffed but couldn't help cracking a smile. "So how about this: If you let me spend tonight over your place, I'll take you home so you can get to know me better. Is that a deal?"
'Against my better judgment? Why not? It's not like one sleepover could make the situation worse, right?' as usual, he didn't let his sarcasm shine though and simply gave a curt smile. "Alright."
"And again, I miss out on another conversation." Nova came out with a purple colored shirt with "Skalop" on the shirt. "It's like you guys take advantage of my shopping bug and it makes me sad…" she whined putting on her best faux weepy face.
"If you had more money you'd probably buy out the shops…" Brodie murmured rolling his eyes.
"What was that?" she playfully growled, throwing a light punch at her companion's shoulder.
Brodie grinned, "Hey, I'd believe it! Right Luke?"
A slight smile graced Luke's lips, "Sure…" he couldn't help but enjoy the two of them having some fun, this week had but quite a bit of stress on all of them. Turf wars was serious business and this challenge he got them in just had to be stressful for his teammates, not just him.
'Maybe a bit of kindness would work?' he mused. 'Maybe for Nova, Brodie and Cass…'
Truth be told, he didn't know why he was always with the cheery of the group. Was it because they were so nice? Perhaps it was due to the open hostility Deborah had shown. He could barely understand his own rationale when it came to her, she was bit of a bully, but maybe she could really use a friend or two?
As the three walked out of the Base, they were greeted by the sight of Deborah waving goodbye to the two other boys who left the plaza.
"So…" Luke started, not liking his gut feeling about what was about happen. "Why are you waving goodbye to Tytus and Cass?"
"Oh I just wanted to give them the day off since I'll be working with you two to improve my Turf War level."
Suddenly Luke didn't feel so good.
"Which means you'll be on the team for Turf Wars."
Deborah gave a slight but demeaning glare.
"Bingo."
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If he wasn't helping out his best and only friend, Tytus would have probably ditched pretty boy here to go hang out somewhere, maybe get something nice for her. The ill-tempered boy simmered his contempt, so his hatred was not so apparent as to be brought up. The scowl on his face was consistent with how he normally looked anyways so it's not like this guy would be able to tell the difference.
Cass brought them to Inkopolis' largest and most public park, Greeneye Gardens. Its biggest attraction being a gorgeous tree that was currently sprawling with life from the gnarled roots snaking through the ground to the softly blushing blossoms that stretched across the sky.
As the boys made their way over to the benches underneath the tree. Cass decided it'd be the best time to make small talk.
"So, how do you guys function together as a team?" he asked.
With a roll of the eyes and kicked a rock that had happened to cross his path. "We literally just made this team."
"So, you guys know each other from childhood?"
Tytus wrinkled his nose, "Never said that."
"So, is that a no?" The taller boy was now sitting down and gestured for Tytus to sit down with him, to which he simply stayed standing, slightly leaning on the bench itself.
"Yes."
Cass paused for a moment. Tytus glanced over to see him pondering something. And soon enough, another question came from him.
"If you guys, barely know each other, why did you start this team up?"
The orange tentacles on Tytus head flared dangerously as he turned his head to his inquisitor.
"What's it to you?" he snarled, causing his teammate to be taken aback. "Maybe it was just convenient."
Cass had his hands up defensively, "If it's that much of a touchy subject, I won't pry. I'm just a bit curious."
"Well be curious somewhere else…" The other inkling grumbled.
'He got up on the wrong side of the bed today…' Cass thought to himself, look to the ground, crestfallen. 'I was really hoping to get to know the people on my team today…I hope the others are having luck in their matches.'
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Getting smashed into the pavement wasn't how Luke enjoyed his 3 minutes in Turf but that's what ended up happening five times by now.
"Tracking me… he has to be tracking me every time I come out of spawn." He mumbled in frustration. The other team's roller had been ferociously picking on him ever since they started the fight.
Deborah was getting better at using that charger as they went along in their matchers, even if it took her a while to aim properly, she was beginning to get more then couple of shots off on the enemy.
That roller, however, was smart.
He never went out alone amongst the crates of the warehouse and he made sure to use his teammates as cover if possible to help him cover the map, ensuring that he was not a primary target for the team charger. Overall, keeping out of the deadlier weapon's line of sight was working for him.
His friends only had similar luck, Nova let out a frustrated huff as she perched herself besides him near the Warehouse's side path grating. The opposing team's shooters, composing of a Blaster and a Jet Squelcher, sandwich the openings and kept them from coming out into the open. Brodie was on the other side dealing with the roller.
"We aren't getting anywhere like this!" Nova groaned. I sure hope the other two have a plan because these guys won't let us go anywhere.
Likewise, Deborah was also having issues. The Jet Squelcher kept a good distance from the charger in case she tried something but with a long-range shooter keeping her at bay she was forced back deep into their turf.
Only a minute-thirty was left. The pressure was on now. If they couldn't push this team back now, a comeback would be unlikely. The other team's charger barely looked interested in what was happening on their side, a sight that prickled at Deborah's skin. If only that other charger was in range…she'd show him! The sound of the battle ringing close to her ear only served as a reminder that she likely wouldn't get the opportunity.
The inkling wielding the Jet Squelcher began firing his cyan at her, seemingly bored with the other two. She grunted as his shots bared down on her, keeping her moving backwards. The smile on his face as his opponent continued to make her move backwards began to irritate her. "We're gonna lose."
Just like the other 3, Brodie was kept back by the assault of the roller. This one knew what he was doing for certain; He constantly flicked his roller at Brodie, the Splattershot user gritting his teeth at the seemingly bottomless energy this guy had. He had to be a pro. Or at least experienced. The guy made sure to put distance between him and Brodie, running when it got too heated for him, but Brodie didn't have much time before the roller would return. And while he was gaining ground, the roller was making sure he wasn't getting by. Whether it was by his main weapon or his sub, he made sure to pin the newbie inkling within their territory.
While the opposing team never got too much farther, in the end the Ocean's Sonata lost.
Returning to the lobby, Brodie wore an unamused expression on his face. His head was hung back as he stumbled about in a zombie-like gait and his weapon was loosely hung onto, only gripping it by the trigger guard.
"That was the third loss in a row…" he moaned. "Today absolutely sucked…"
Deborah only rolled her eyes and the other two could only watch as she forcefully righted his position, causing a small "Ow." When she snapped his neck up much too quickly.
"We've only been in five matches." She said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Now you can continue to whine, or we can go into another waiting room and continue to work hard to bring up our level and be in fighting shape for Aeolia's team." The mention of the dreaded team leader's name caused a few heads to turn her way and even more whispers in their direction.
Luke turned blue at the attention, "Will you not say that so loud…? We're supposed to be laying low…"
Deborah wrinkled her nose in irritation but nodded in understanding.
"Let's keep going." Deborah added. "No stopping till we're at least level 6 or until the tower closes." As the pink inkling trailed away, her teammates could only gaze at each other tiredly before going off after her.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Talking to the hotheaded inkling was harder then it seemed. No matter how much he tried, Tytus would coldly brush off his attempts to conversate. Eventually Cass gave up trying.
Although he was frustrated, spending time to hangout with the other wasn't going on as he planned, he wasn't going let it ruin the remainder of his day. He looked joyed at the sight of nature, the looming tree overlooking the park, the trickling of water through the squid-made brook, and the sight of birds flying through the sky. Why, there was even a beautiful dark colored one, perhaps a crow, soaring above. What caught his eyes was perhaps, despite the bird being far above him, the violet iridescent gleam of its feathers whenever sunlight bounced of it's body. It was quite an alluring trait for a bird to have.
Tytus took a look at what his current company was gawking at, and when he decided it was nothing special, rolled his eyes and slumped into his seat.
"You know, I've always had an interest in the natural world." Cass began. Tytus how no signs he was going to listen, but he continued to speak anyways. "When I was younger, I was much too sick to go out for long periods of time. Weak immune system I suppose…" Tytus dared a glance at the talking boy, eyes softening slightly. Cass had his eyes still cast upwards to where the bird had flown by.
"When I caught a rather bad bug, and it looked like I wasn't going to make it, a very white bird sat on my windowsill. I remember seeing it perched there and it's was looking at me it's entire visit." He closed his eyes to picture the memory in his head. "I'm not sure what it was, but the sight of it caught me by surprise. And I think I was so fascinated by its appearance, I forgot how much pain I was in. The next day, the doctor came to check on me and said that it looked like the worst of it had past. My parents were so relieved."
Tytus looked at him with a mixture of feelings. He didn't know what to say.
"Maybe it's a stupid thing to think but…seeing that bird when I did probably saved my life."
"Why would you think that?" The orange inkling asked, his voice losing the bite it previously had.
"Well…" he started, not wanting to ruin the moment by acknowledging Tytus' change in tune. "It's probably because when I felt like I was going to end right there, something came in and gave me hope. It probably wouldn't' have been much but a pretty sight to anyone else, but I had never seen something so beautiful. Maybe I looked into it too deeply yet feeling that the bird had come to visit me because I had given hope is what helped me overcome my illness."
The boy finally looked at the other one smiling blissfully, a look that both bewildered and interested the orange inkling. "Call it superstitious, but sparrows are supposedly good luck. Seeing that white one might have extended my life by twice, if not longer."
Tytus said nothing, wordlessly studying Cass' expression. How could he be so chipper remembering such an awful time?
Seeing that Tytus wasn't going to talk too much, Cass stood up and took a glance at the sun.
"It's starting to get late. The others have to be done turfing by now." He offered his hand to the still stunned inkling. "Let's head back to the plaza."
Tytus took his hand and headed back with him.
'Hope when there is none…I wonder if we can have that.'
This one's a long one. And that was only one of the reason it took a while to release; reality gives people plenty of reasons to pay attention to it, figuring out how to continue, and indecision on whether to start fixing up older chapter now or wait till a certain point. Either way I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Next one won't be as long but that should mean it will be out quicker.
Oh yeah and before I forget here's another BIO
Name: Brodie Ammadon
Eye Color: Magenta
Tentacle Color: Light Blue
Skin tone: Ebony
Description: Book smart but often ignored, Brodie doesn't hesitate to help out when he feels people are counting on him. Somewhat of a coward and lazy when not pushed.
